Sources in the army report that the suicide rate has risen by about 20 percent compared to the same period last year • Minister of Defense: "Direct correlation from the beginning of the epidemic to an increase in suicides"
A fighter in the U.S. Army
Photography:
AP
The US military reports that the suicide rate has increased by about 20 percent this year compared to the same period in 2019, partly due to the corona virus.
Admittedly, say military and Air Force officials, there are many causes for suicides, but there is no doubt that the plague adds pressure that has dropped the spoon.
According to data released by US military officials, the Army has recorded a 30 percent jump in suicides (114 suicides vs. 88) and is therefore considering the possibility of shortening the deployment period to help soldiers and their families.
The National Guard recorded a jump of ten percent (from 78 to 86).
According to estimates in the US Navy, there has actually been a decrease in suicides.
The Air Force had 98 suicides, unchanged from the previous year.
At the same time, last year saw a record of three decades in the number of suicides, which puts the year on particularly poor parameters.
Army commanders say they cannot link the rise in suicides directly to the virus, but the timing is consistent with that.
Defense Secretary Ryan McCarthy also addressed the issue and said there has been an increase in suicides, homicides and other violent behaviors.
"We can not say one hundred percent that it is because of the corona, but there is a direct correlation from the time the plague started to the rise in violent incidents and suicides."
In fact, by March 2020, suicide rates had been declining.
Along with self-harm in the active military, the U.S. is reporting that isolation is taking a toll on former fighters, including the particularly wounded. Thus, Sergio Alfaro said, the virus exacerbated the post-trauma syndrome he suffers from and the sense of suicide. More.
It's like adding more junk to the pile. "Between April and August, Roger Brooks, a senior mental health executive in the Wounded Warrior project, reported a 48 percent jump in mental health providers and a 10 percent increase in mental health calls and virtual support meetings compared to five The previous months for that. "
Brooks said there is unequivocal evidence that the plague has made wounded fighters feel more isolated, with an emphasis on amputees unable to connect to support groups.